“Everybody should "Do Good" but most people are too worried about themselves.”
What Morris said got my attention…..
Forward Friday walks us into the New Year and asks the question or plants the thought, “We have the opportunity to do good this year; will we? And as always, there’s good news medicine at the end!! Happy New Year…. And…..
Let’s Get Into This!!!
I’ve been visiting my friend from high school who is in the hospital and has not been doing well for a number of months now.
Morris and I have spent a lot of time over the past 2 plus months, talking, listening to music and even had a few fun outings.
Montreal has an iconic hot dog stand called the Orange Julep. We took a early evening road trip for hotdogs, fries and a classic orange julep drink.
Our eyes were really big and probably ate too much but it was fun!
Then a few weeks later, the hospital foundation made it possible for us to take Morris to a Montreal Canadiens Hockey game. Even though they lost, it was a win, seeing Morris smile and enjoy the evening...
We were better in regard to eating at the arena, smoked meat, chips, drink and ice cream. We were well behaved!!!!!!!!
I learned a lot about Morris over this past period of time. From his family to high school friends, Morris is known for having a sweet spirit, kind to others, living with integrity, warm and engaging to all who would come into contact with him and always looking to do good.
So, Morris and I had a conversation a little while ago and I asked him what he would say to a teenager about doing good and why it is so important?
He said that people are starving for receiving good things and that our souls and spirits thrive and we actually do ourselves good when we do good for someone else.
So we are establishing “Mo Moments” for our school network this year.
What is a Mo Moment?
Do Good; However We Can
"When we carry out acts of kindness, we get a wonderful feeling inside. It is as though something inside our body responds and says, "Yes, this is how I ought to feel."
So, Some Thoughts About Doing Good In The Year 2024..
Created To Serve..
From the inside out, we were made to serve. It’s long been known that there are positive, biological side effects for when we serve.
Even the Medical profession has long had it in the files that serving/helping impacts better health.
I think I have come to the realization that I should keep my focus on the main things in life.
To expend my energies on the connections of the people I encounter and not worry about the things that don’t really matter in the end.
Serving Makes Us Healthier
It’s a fact: studies have shown that serving reduces mortality by 22% – 44%. People who volunteer have 29% lower risk of high blood pressure, 17% lower risk of inflammation levels, and spend 38% fewer nights in the hospital.
There is some correlation between lowering stress and finding avenues to serve and help others.
How many times have you heard how bad stress is for your health? But how do we reduce our stress? One way is by serving others. “Helping others calms us down.”
Some Good News Medicine About Doing Good!
The Blessings We Receive From Serving
The vast majority of us want our lives to matter. It’s the reason we do many of the things we do.
We receive much joy and can make the biggest difference when we use our God-given talents, gifts and abilities.
When we serve, we can discover our giftings and to develop them.
Serving allows us to experience potential miracles…
Serving Is A God Idea
We have Jesus as a clear representative of having a servant spirit. When we serve others, we may have not seen it as such but it is an act of gratitude for all that God has done for us so we can’t help but serve someone else.
When I Serve, I Can Become More Like Jesus
The shift to serving others takes our eyes off ourselves. Funny, many times, we begin to see people differently, even seeing Jesus in others and seeing them how He sees them.
We Can Experience God When We Serve
Many times, people will say how they felt something shift, change, warm inside them as they began serving. Did you know that encouragement and healing come hand in hand.
Amazingly enough, as people find help and hope as we serve them, we’re encouraged.
Serving: Good For The Soul
Serving Studies have shown that volunteering is so good for the mind and body that it can ease symptoms of stress and depression. Tapping into our gifts and passions builds self-confidence, energy, and strength.
Serving others can also be the best distraction from our own worries.
Last Thing: There’s Always A Reason Not to….
We could talk ourselves out of doing good with some of these lines….
Have we ever used them? Comments like:
I don’t have time.
I don’t know what I would do.
I don’t have any special skills to contribute.
They don’t need me.
Funny, God has used all sorts of people; some who felt limited or not skilled and they helped change the world..
The Things I Think:
I walked out of the hospital one late afternoon in November and decided that I had one thing that I could offer when visiting Morris.
My Time and Myself.
Whether I thought it would be enough I don’t know but because of spending time with Morris, his outlook in a very precarious health position has been good for me.
As I’ve told him many times, spending time with him has been good for me.
So, among the many things I want to do in 2024 is to “Do Good”.. Wherever I Can, However I Can.
May 2024 be a year where serving is more than just something we do; it’s who we are!
Join me this year!
Dave
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